One year after he became Rector of the College of Health Sciences and Management Technology (ASCHSMT) in Abia State, Prof Chidi Felix Ezeama, is under fire for allegedly employing people staff in excess of the approval granted by the government. He denies the claim, saying he got a waiver for those hired. SUNNY NWANKWO (Aba) reports:
Workers are up on arms against the Rector of the College of Health Sciences and Management Technology (ASCHSMT) Abia State, Prof Chidi Felix Ezeama, who is marking his first year in office this month. They accused him of employment racket.
They told The Nation that the employment of some workers negates government’s policy. The workers also accused Ezeama of nepotism and “lack of idea of how to manage a post secondary education institution.”
They noted that Ezeama who was deployed from the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia on June 10, last year, is not a health expert. (He is a professor of Food Microbiology).
Before Ezeama’s coming the institution had been reeling in crisis, with workers being owed arrears of salaries and allowances. He was faced with clearing the mess.
While government promised monthly subvention, the school is to plug leakages and wastages, clear salary backlogs, improve its internally generated revenue (IGR) and ensure prompt payment of workers.”
The Nation gathered that Ezeama swung into action shortly after his appointment. As part of his plan to raise the school’s IGR, he wrote to the government on January 4, requesting for an approval to employ more hand.
His request was granted via a letter signed by Sir Onyii Wamah, Permanent Secretary, Government House, Umuahia. He was directed to employ nurses three, community health workers seven, health information management three, laboratory technicians five, cleaner/orderly four, messengers three, council chairman’s candidates three and other categories of workers 14, bringing the total number to 42.
But, the workers claimed that he went outside the waiver granted him to employ additional 24 workers including his wife, Ezeama Akpaego Nwaogbu; daughter Chidi Ezeama Nnenna Ellen and son-in-law, Jonadab Obidiya Shulammite.
They alleged that they were aware another list of 34 were to be employed by Ezeama between June last year, which would bring the total number of those hired now to 100.
“He has employed about 100 persons and the worst aspect of it is that the employment is not skilled along the need of the college. By the time he was coming in, there was a Visitation Panel set up by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. The panel in its report noted that our college had a shortfall of academic staff while loaded by non-academic.
“We have about 167 or 170 workers but only 30 are academic staff. So, the Visitation Panel directed that more employment should be along academic area which is what generates more revenue for the college. Unfortunately when the Rector came, the first thing he did was to begin to employ indiscriminately. He employed the first 27 last year, another 24 in January and he is employing another 42 now, bringing the finances of the college to a near collapse,” the workers alleged.
But Ezeama, who did not deny employing his wife and relations, described some of the other allegations as spurious, and the machinations of certain elements bent on distracting him from plugging loopholes.” Some of those accusing him, he claimed had exploited those loopholes to enrich themselves.
According to the rector, management followed due process in the employment, which was superintended by the registrar.
The workers also claimed that students’ enrolment is declining under Ezeama’s watch.
“The unfortunate aspect of it is that the college is currently going through a decline in enrolment because of the present economic recession. We have more manpower in non-academic than academic but the man does not even look at the statistics to know whether there is any shortfall of teaching staff or not,” said source who pleaded not to be named.
He continued: “The funniest part of it is that the employment the Rector made was tailored along the line of his immediate family and other relations.”
The workers said they were amazed that the rector hired his wife, who retired from the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) in October last year on health grounds and placed her above others. “Those who are supposed to be above her status wise are now under her. Besides, these employments did not pass through the normal process of bureaucracy which involves advert placement that will pave the way for others to apply.”
The workers claimed that a letter signed by Ukaegbu Sample (a new employee), directed the Bursar to put the new workers on the payroll.
Ikpeazu’s Chief Press Secretary Enyinnaya Appolos has asked the workers for a petition. Nonetheless, workeys say they are treading softly because the governor and Ezeama are from the same Obingwa Local Government. Sources also told The Nation that Ezeama had boasted that being the governor’s kinsman, he is untouchable.
The workers lamented that the rector was employing indiscriminately and putting more strain on the lean resources when they are being owed salary arrears and the school is underfunded.
“We are surprised that the same rector, who claimed that the governor directed that there should not be any further employment because those in the system have not yet been paid, is now employing again.
“As we speak with you, our subvention is N10million a month and the amount is not even enough to pay those who are there already not to talk of those being currently employed,” the workers said.
They accused management of inability to articulate the goals of the college and how to go about them. They cited a rainstorm which blew away the roof top of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) building nearly three months ago, adding that nothing has been done to repair it.
“We have to look at this critically and find out if it was the governor that directed this kind of indiscriminate employment because we believe he did not grant the rector a waiver to employ over 100 staff in a college that owes its workers six months salary arrears,” the workers said.
‘We need petitions to act’
However, the Ministry of Education has said it would not act on the allegations, except a petition from the workers.
The Commissioner for Education Prof Ikechi Mgbegi, said the ministry has not received a formal complaint from the workers.
However, when The Nation told him that the rector admitted employing some of his family members, Mgbeoji said such action was wrong.
“It is wrong for members of a family-father, daughter and wife, to be working in the same institution headed by a family member. Such is not obtainable in civilised societies like Canada where I was working before being called to serve as the Commissioner for Education.
“We are also working on a template that will make tertiary institutions in the state more self sustaining through increase in their IGR and executing some development programmes that can further generate funds to the schools.”
